Auto Warranty News

It goes without saying that you need to thoroughly inspect a used car before you buy it. First , look at the buyers guide sticker and see if the used car warranty is limited or if the car has no warranty and is being sold as is. The best option is to have your own mechanic inspect the car with you.

AutoBytle.com has an extensive step by step process that you can review before you go shopping. The first few steps are excerpted below.

Things You Will Need

• Paper towels
• Hand cleaner
• Magnet
• Flashlight
• Small mirror
• VIN (vehicle identification number)
• www.autocheck.com Vehicle History Report
• Small section of the newspaper (to help detect oil leaks)
• Cell phone and the number of your local dealer for this type of vehicle
• This list and a pen to check things off and make notes

Used Car Inspection Step #1

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Setting Up The Inspection
Get the VIN from the used car listing or call the owner and ask for it. If they are uneasy about letting you run a vehicle history report, be wary of the seller’s honesty. Dealerships run this report if you want to trade your used car in. The VIN number is conveniently located on the sellers insurance card, which most states require be carried in your wallet.

Used Car Inspection Step #2

Talk with the Owner Talk to the owner, ask:

• How long have they owned the car?
• How often have they changed the oil? Where was it changed?
• Do they have records for maintenance and service?
• Has it ever been damaged or flooded?
• Why are they selling the vehicle?
• Are there any problems?
• Has it had any major maintenance beyond muffler, brakes, tires, batteries and oil changes? How long has it been since these items were replaced?
• Was the car kept in a garage?

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If you’ve always wanted to just lift your car out of a traffic jam, or just like the feel of no rubber on the road, the Gyro-coptr will be the hybrid of your dreams, employing your aerial fantasies above the earth at a height of 4000 feet while deploying like a luxury car that handles like a motorcycle back on the earth.

What’s not to love?

The Pal-V is expected to be in production by 2009, it runs on gas, biodiesel and bioethanol.

It, understandably, has some pilots looking askance.

“I’m all for the flying car concept, but as a practicing pilot, I have to say that I’m a little leery of it in practice. There are a bunch of very good reasons why getting a pilot’s license is a lot harder than getting a driver’s license, and despite the inherently stable characteristics of an autogyro, takeoff, landing, and navigation is always tricky. And unlike regular cars, which drive on roads, with a flying car, nobody is safe anywhere. Let’s hope these things get regulated effectively, or I’m building myself an underground nuke/tornado/flying tricycle shelter.”
from RemovetheLabels.com

If you are a woman exploring what is underneath your hood, or you are trying to identify that part that your used car warranty states is still covered, you might find yourself in search of something that you wouldn’t recognize if it hit you over the head. Being able to differentiate between a power steering pump and a power steering box could prove helpful . My Honest Mechanic generously offers a section on their site simply named, Pictures of Car Parts, that is just that; picture after picture of various car parts. Noted also for dispensing good tech advice and providing a complete menu of automotive information, it’s a site well worth book marking. At least now you’ll be able to visualize all of the car parts that your used car warranty still covers.

From the humorously titled Chrysler Suicide Watch 10, to everyday folks sounding off on message boards, to Daimler Chrysler stock going up and GM seeming to retreat , to brooding speculation about what possible bidder Magna’s, choice of private equity partners could portend, Chrysler and it’s future has all of the pundits guessing.

“U.S. media reports have pointed to private equity firms Cerberus Capital Management and a group consisting of Blackstone Group LP and Centerbridge Capital Partners LP as the leading bidders for Chrysler.”

“The name Cerberus rung a bell from my school days; it’s the three-headed dog that guards the gate of Hades, ensuring “that all spirits could enter, but none could return.” Or, to borrow from the last line from Hotel California, the dog is “programmed to receive; you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.
Not exactly the kind of vision that a Chrysler shop rat wants to see. Canadian Auto Workers boss Buzz Hargrove didn’t like that vision much-“That’s a big concern to us, because their history is to cut a lot of jobs, close a lot of plants, get lean and mean in a hurry to sell and make a lot of money for executives and throw a lot of people out of work.”

If you thought slow drivers made you mad before, wait until you get behind one of these. You’ll have to provide rear end propulsion yourself if you want to get this thing out of your way. This thing is, by the way , a Flybo-EV, another manifestation of green think.

“…the euphonically christened XFD-6000ZK, is one of three Flybo-EV models headed for the U.S. market. All are classed as LSVs/NEVs (Low Speed / Neighborhood Electric Vehicles), which means they’re limited to 25 mph (40 mph without the mechanical limiter) and needn’t be especially crashworthy. However, Flybo-EV North America assures us that they’re “100% legal for on-road use.”

I wonder if their auto warranty covers being zapped in a fly trap.

A friend of mine was once a big skeptic about eBay. A boat salesman for a local boat broker, he was especially displeased when his boss announced that they were going to try auctioning some of their pre-owned inventory on eBay.
These boats were 30 to 65′ long, ranging in price from 100K to 600K. Not your typical online auction item. Much to his surprise, folks flew in from across the country to see these boats, resulting in several cross country transactions.

Though buying a car on eBay is not quite as risky, like any purchase, common sense and caution must prevail.
Car-junky.com explains reasons why buying near new cars off the internet can end up being a safe route to go.

“A two- to four-year-old car today can offer customers much of the comfort, performance, styling and reliability of a new model, and it sells for 30 to 60 percent less than a new vehicle,” says John Davis, executive producer and host of MotorWeek, the critically acclaimed PBS weekly automotive magazine series.

According to Davis, cars are better built these days, and the styling is changed less often and less radically than it used to be, so a three-year-old car looks and drives a lot like a new one.

There is also less risk involved now. New car warranties have been lengthened and coverage is at least three years (36,000 miles) for all vehicles, and for premium cars it can be twice as long. There is usually rust and corrosion protection that lasts even longer and roadside assistance coverage as well.”

eBay is one service that offers buyers a solution for car inspections at a distance.

“But should you actually buy a car you haven’t even seen? Davis cautions shoppers to remember the familiar “buyer beware” warning. eBay Motors offers a mobile inspection service, which sends certified experts anywhere in the country for a nominal fee to check out a vehicle before you buy it. There are also cars available that have already been certified by a dealer.”

Read the entire article for more car shopping advice.

How does your Saturn look in the future? If you are Saturn fan, their 2007 Opel Gran Turismo Coupe Concept car should assure you that your loyalty will be rewarded.

From the Automobilemag.com review:

“In the past, a gorgeous Opel concept would have gotten us only mildly excited. Now that Saturn has been completely Opelized, this coupe has us running around screaming nonsensical things to the sidewalk walkers outside our windows. Called the Gran Turismo concept, it has a greenhouse that is very Infiniti G35, while the rest of it is fresh and beautiful while carrying over some styling cues from the current Vectra. And just look at those exhaust outlets-they’re as big as the taillights. The car’s turbocharged, 300 horsepower V-6 must be putting out some pretty intense fumes. The interior looks great too, and only a few shiny bits are far-fetched for production.

The Gran Turismo sits on a chassis that will underpin the next-generation Vectra and Saturn Aura, and the design is meant to hint at the future of those cars. Will we get a high-powered Aura coupe when the next car hits the streets? We’ll have to wait and see.”
By Stuart Fowle

“Ford Motor Co.’s planned sale of its auto service contract unit received antitrust approval from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.Ford, seeking to raise cash after a $12.7-billion loss last year, agreed earlier this month to sell Atlanta-based Automobile Protection Corp. to Trident IV LP, a fund managed by Stone Point Capital LLC.The U.S. agency granted approval this week, according to the commission’s Web site. Ford said March 2 it expected the sale to be completed in the second quarter.

Automobile Protection sells extended warranties and service contracts to vehicle buyers.

Ford hasn’t disclosed the terms of the Automobile Protection sale. Spokeswoman Becky Sanch declined to comment beyond confirming the U.S. agency action.”
(Source)

In other Ford news, Mazda renewed it’s partnership with Ford, announcing a target goal of 1.6 million units sold globally by 2010 and, a judge tossed a 15 million judgenment against Ford in a roll-over trial, because “Ford showed in post-trial motions the jury had been prejudiced by the conduct of Clark Brewster, the attorney for the Moodys. Eagan said that considering the size of the verdict, the proper thing to do is to order a new trial.”

If you are looking to “steal” a car at a government auction, well, you’re overlooking the word “government”. When have you not known the government to grab for as much money as it can? That being said, auctions can be just plain fun for the uninitiated and, with a little study, they can be worth the time invested.

“Three federal agencies resell vehicles through official government auctions: The Treasury Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the General Services Administration. In most cases, private companies run the auctions under contract.

The Treasury Department resells vehicles confiscated by bureaus under its control, such as the IRS, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.

The U.S. Marshals Service sells vehicles forfeited under Department of Justice laws through the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service.”
(source)

There can be any number of reasons that a car shows up in an auction, from abandonment to confiscation. The advice is to direct your attention to used federal cars coming out of the General Services Administration – they’ve had regular maintenance and consistent usage.

You are also advised to get the auction list ahead of time and focus on a just a few vehicles. There are no used car warranties, these are “as is”. Inspect your selection during the auction’s preview time, though you are not likely to be permitted a test drive, these cars are deemed to be road worthy.

Keep your Kelly Blue Book on you, bone up on auction basics – when and how to bid – and be prepared to pay in full or with a substantial down payment.

More info on auction shopping is available here.

Once you put a new battery in your car you generally are good to go for three to five years. Apparently, with all of the demands that consumers are now putting on their car batteries,they now are being replaced at a much faster rate.

‘A steady increase in the number of electrical accessories in the average car is shortening battery life. As vehicles are now being designed to operate more systems, they still use the same basic type of 12-volt battery that has been in use for decades.

In the past decade or so cars have evolved from basic transportation to something resembling dens, kitchens and offices on wheels, with everything from DVD screens, subwoofer sound systems and mood lighting to built-in refrigerators and cup holders that heat coffee and cool soft drinks. The automotive aftermarket also offers an ever-growing range of gadgets that help multitasking drivers and passengers talk, eat, find their way around and get their work done on the road.

For consumers, the proliferation of onboard electronics means increased comfort, convenience, efficiency and safety in the form of computerized engine controls, tire-pressure sensors, and powerful navigation and entertainment systems. The downside: All these power-sapping accessories — coupled with vehicles’ increasingly complex networks of electronic-ignition systems, pollution-control devices, security systems and display screens — could be helping to drive up the death rate for car batteries.

Even parked cars are using more juice than they used to. It isn’t that owners are simply forgetting to turn off the headlights, or leaving their cellphones charging overnight. There are many electronic devices in today’s vehicles that continue to draw power even after the ignition is turned off.”
(Source)